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Rochester International Jazz Festival: The Band Plus

Sun, 05/17/2009 - 7:00pm

Wendy Lewis and David King

The Bad Plus is a progressive jazz trio that the New York Times describes as “better than anyone at mixing the sensibilities of post 60’s jazz with indie rock.” Bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, drummer David King and vocalist Wendy Lewis draw on sources as diverse as classical, jazz, rock, pop and beyond. They have created a singular aesthetic that forces even the most skeptical listener to rethink the commonly held notions of what differentiates one style of music from another.

WXXI captured their Rochester International Jazz perfromance last year at Kilbourn Hall. Rochester International Jazz Festival: The Band Plus airs Sunday, May 17 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV21 (cable 11) and WXXI-HD (DT 21.1/ cable 1011). The radio version airs on WRUR-FM 88.5 on Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. and again Saturday, May 16 at 3 p.m.

Shot in breathtaking high-definition, the series is comprised of four hour-long episodes recorded in the historic Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music. Each of the first three episodes feature one amazing concert from: jazz and blues singer Catherine Russell, arranger and trombonist Slide Hampton, and jazz trio The Bad Plus. Between concerts, the artists talk candidly about their music. The final episode includes selections from all three performances and provides sights and sounds in and around the nine-day festival.

With record-breaking attendance year after year, the Rochester International Jazz Festival will continue to make its home in the City as well. In 2008 the festival saw more than 125,000 jazz fans catching more than 250 concerts. The success of this world-class festival reaffirms that the arts in Rochester are one of the City’s greatest assets.

The Rochester International Jazz Festival series is produced by WXXI Public Broadcasting and distributed nationally by American Public Television. The Rochester International Jazz Festival is underwritten by The Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Foundation, New York State Music Fund, and the Office of New York State Senator Jim Alesi.